• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
EnvironmentEnvironment

Here’s how many trees you should plant if you’re feeling guilty about your next vacation

By
Lisa Pham
Lisa Pham
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lisa Pham
Lisa Pham
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 30, 2021, 8:08 AM ET

Think first before you plan a break. A two-week luxury holiday could require almost 400 trees to be planted to offset your carbon footprint. A couple of lattes a day would need 13 trees a year.

That’s according to a report by Credit Suisse Group AG, detailing lifestyle choices and the impact on greenhouse-gas emissions. The study examined the number of trees needed to mitigate everyday consumer behavior and erase a person’s carbon footprint over the course of a year.

“It likely remains difficult for most consumers to grasp how bad an individual activity is from a climate impact point of view,” the analysts said. “We introduce the concept of Treeprint, or the number of mature trees that are needed to offset the emissions generated with a certain activity.”

Swapping steak frites for a vegetarian pasta bolognese for dinner would result in a 94% drop in emissions, while a white tea’s footprint is about 90% lower than a latte, the analysts including Eugene Klerk wrote in the report. An eight-minute shower each day needs up to 10 trees a year to get to net zero, they estimated.

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Authors
By Lisa Pham
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.